Fire's Water
by Kage no Aki
Summary: Life is cruel sometimes but it also has suprises. RoyxRiza
1. Part One

**Fire's Water**

(Part One)

"Colonel." Her voice snapped him out of his late work daze. #$!& late nights… She was holding up more papers for him. Great, that's exactly what he wanted. More papers to fill out and read. Everything to stand in his way of going home, having a scotch on the rocks and some sleep.

"Mm." He accepted the papers from her and stopped. If he hadn't been looking at the papers that she had handed him and at her face like he usually did, he would have completely missed it.

"Colonel?" She was in shock. She was just about to move away and continue working on the leftover work that her superior would have less to do but he had suddenly grabbed her by the arm.

"What is this?" He demanded harshly as he started at his lieutenant waiting for an appropriate explanation.

"No… Nothing…" He never spoke with her like this. She didn't know how to deal with him. His eyes were burning, his eyebrows in an angry tilt, and his mouth turned downward. Never had he addressed her in such a manner other than cool professionalism. She didn't even know what he was referring too.

"What do you mean nothing!" He yelled at her. He grabbed her sleeve and pulled upwards. He gasped and his eyes widen as he stared at furious red marks all along her wrist and the underside of her arm. Was it _him_?

"Nothing." She said curtly. She pulled her arm away and walked back to her desk pointedly ignoring him.

"No." He got up from his desk and grabbed the other arm bearing it like the other. He winced when it looked like its twin. Oh god. What was she doing? "_This_ is not nothing."

"It's none of your business." She pulled her other arm from his clutch and pulled her sleeves back down.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye." She froze with her back towards him. She could not believe he was pulling his rank over her for a damn answer. He never abused his power like so.

"Sir." She didn't bother facing him.

"What are those marks on your arm?" He retreated back to his cool professional demeanor, formal and short.

"Fragile skin, Sir."

"What happened?"

"Nothing, Sir." She stood completely straight and ridged. She could feel his eyes boring into her back. She could tell in the tone of his voice that he was hanging on every response that she gave him.

"Lieutenant." He once again reminded her of her status compared to his, due to lack of response.

"Nothing has happened, Sir."

"Damn it, Riza! What's going on!" He grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face him.

"It's no…"

"It's _not_ nothing!" He knew what she was going to say. She has been avoiding answering him completely. What was she hiding from him? Why was she acting this way towards him? "What the fuck has been going on!"

"I don't think I know what you're talking about…" She wasn't playing dumb but his reaction was completely out of the ordinary. Never had she seen him so angered about something.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! You've become increasingly tired at work. You've been less attentive and more prone to dazing. You've been spending less and less time with …your work." Oh how he wanted to say himself. She had been eating out and disappearing at random occurrences. He has seen his own dedicated lieutenant less and less. "You're less focused. You don't seem to want to be here anymore!"

"You're upset about my performance, _Sir_." Her words caught an edge and he knew that she was displeased with him but would refrain from yelling at him. "You're unhappy with me and my performance?"

"No! I'm unhappy with him!" He had spun around and slammed his fist into the table. His aggravation and frustration was boiling for that man. First the time spent then the tiredness, and then the marks all over her arm. It was all clear to him now.

"Him?"

"That man you keep spending your lunch hour with! The one you're always with in the library! The one you _go home with_!"

"Excuse me. My personal life is _none_ of your business nor is it the military's." He had been watching her closely and following her. He had made horrible assumptions about her personal life and confronted her about them. He was angry with her and was demanding answers. She was not pleased. "HE is also none of your business."

"It is!" He was shaking now. He didn't know from what but he was angry…angry at that man for doing this to her and angry at her for not telling him. Why was she covering for him? "You are my business! You are my lieutenant!"

"You do **not** own me. I am not yours, Roy." How could he talk about her like she was some sort of toy or object that belonged to him and only him? She couldn't believe he was talking like this to her.

"He doesn't deserve you!" He was grabbing her by the shoulders. His voice had fallen. His face had fallen too. There was a desperate edge now in his voice as he spoke to her. "Why do you let him treat you like this?"

"He didn't do this to me!"

"Don't cover for him! He is! I know he is!" His anger started to boil again. She was covering for him again. That man didn't deserve someone was wonderful as her.

"He is not!" She struggled to reason with him but his grasp on her shoulders was too strong and she could not shake herself loose.

"He is! Don't lie to me!"

"He's not!"

"Then what is it!" There was no other logical explanation for it. She could not lie herself out of this. "Don't lie to me!"

"It's not him! I'll show you!" She ripped herself from his hands and stomped to her desk. He was bewildered how much strength he was using against her. She grabbed a pen off a stack of papers and returned.

"Oh god, don't tell me you've been doing this to yourself…" That was the last thing he wanted. He never wanted to her about that. He was in hysterics.

"Shut up, Roy!" She bared her arms to him again and drew symmetrical circles on both arms. The circles flashed and he was soaked.

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Comments/Questions/Critisism? I'll answer all. 


	2. Part Two

**Fire's Water**

(Part Two)

They were alchemy circles… on her arms. That's where all the marks were coming from. Not some man abusing her. Not weird sadistic methods. She was just practicing alchemy.

"That is what it is." She was heaving and sweat dotted her forehead. The argument plus the demonstration had taken more out of her than she thought it would.

"Why?" All his previous fury had dissipated and he was left tired just wanting to know the truth. "Why hide this?"

"I just wanted to do it myself."

"Why? What for?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She was very tired now. All the late night working and even later nights practicing were taking a toll on her body. She started to sink to the ground. Her attempt to hold on to Roy's coat was futile. "I do it to protect you."

"Riza!" He slowly helped her down. He threw his wet hair out of his eyes as he examined her exhausted form. She looked so tired. He couldn't understand why she would go through all this trouble to do this. "Am I not enough?"

"It is only reasonable to have your greatest weakness your greatest ally." She was right. Bull's eye. Dead center. In situations greatly disadvantageous for him, she would flourish. If the enemy could corner him they would never know that his subordinate could lash back with something other than a bullet. Even more brilliant to hide the array inside her uniform so they would not know. "Hughes…"

"Riza!" She had passed out. Her skin was pale. Her hands were clammy. It was exhaustion written all over her. He carefully picked her up and placed her on the couch on the side of the room. She learned alchemy so that she could protect him. He had always thought that he was trying to protect her. Never had he thought it of the other way. She was thinking about him and his goal. Pushing him up in a different way than Hughes was... a way that Hughes could never do.

"Roy…" He didn't know how long he had been lost in his thoughts when she came too, probably a long time.

"I'm here." He hadn't left her side the entire time. He had sat in a chair and watched her sleep. He looked like a wreck. His shirt was slightly unbuttoned, sleeves rolled up, hair completely messed up… the entire uniform wrinkled. "I'm sorry."

"It was a misunderstanding. That's all." Her voice was soft and full of understanding. She was the constant calming presence.

"I'm still sorry."

"Mm."

"I'll help you." His voice was final and deciding. "All the trouble you went through… the least I can do now is help you."

"I would appreciate that, sir." She smiled reassuringly hoping to ease his trouble thoughts of her. He must have been so confused and shocked with all of this happening. She was after all supposed to be the dependable one.

"No, I want to really help you… in everything." He got down on his knees so that he was eye level with her.

"Sir?" She stared back in confusion. He didn't know what he was talking about.

"I will teach you alchemy. I'll show you how to do my alchemy. I will protect you. I'll show you how to protect me."

"Sir?"

"It's Roy." He looked up at her like a broken man who finally found his resolve. "I _want_ to protect you just as much as I _want_ you to love me."

"I… Sir… Roy…" He cut her off with a well placed kiss.

"It doesn't matter. I'll protect you no matter what."

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Comments/Questions/Critisism? I'll answer all.  



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